If you’re reading this, odds are good that you recently had a mammogram or breast ultrasound, and you were told that your breast health advisor would like you to get – a biopsy. This recently happened to me, and I was instantly worried about what happens in a breast biopsy. What would it be like? Would a biopsy hurt? Leave scars? Would I be awake for the procedure? Yikes! If you have similar concerns, perhaps hearing how my breast biopsy went will put your biopsy concerns to rest a little? I hope so.
First off, let me tell you immediately that my breast biopsy was much less scary in reality, than I had imagined in my mind. And I bet yours will be too. I’ll give you some specific details of my procedure below. Take a breath. Odds are good this will be a less intimidating experience then what you’re expecting.
How it started:
I went for my yearly mammogram, and a few days later I got a call asking me to come in for further imaging. When I returned to the office I repeated my mammogram and also got a breast ultrasound. (In case you’re wondering a breast ultrasound is totally the same thing you get on your tummy when your pregnant, just on your breast. Same goopy gel, ultrasound wand, and totally painless imaging). In my case, I knew before I left the office that I was going to schedule a biopsy for later that week.
Three Biopsy Types: It’s likely that you’ve been told you are having either a fine needle aspiration biopsy, a surgical biopsy – (or what I had) a core needle biopsy. I can only tell you my experience, but my understanding is that a fine needle aspiration biopsy is such a thin needle that you may not need much more than some medicine to numb your skin. A surgical biopsy would be under anesthesia – so again very little would be felt by you.
What my Core Needle Biopsy was like:
I arrived for my appointment, and much like a mammogram I had been asked not to wear any lotion or deodorant. I could keep my pants on, but needed to take my top off and put on a hospital gown. *TIP* This is not the day to wear a dress or romper. You will want to have a separate top and bottom, so that you can keep your bottoms on! I was brought into a small medical room with an ultrasound machine, and a bed. I laid down and the doctor made sure I was laying in such a way that the tech could move the ultrasound wand around easily. In my case, they used an ultrasound to see where the needle was in relation to the breast tissue they wanted samples of.
I was given a shot of lidocaine, and that felt like a moderate bee sting. And then I was given a couple more shots of numbing medicine I believe, but those I couldn’t really feel – as the first shot had done it’s job! I will honestly tell you that the needle they use for the core needle biopsy looked big. And I wished I hadn’t seen it. Especially because it’s size made me anticipate great pain, that I never actually felt. So it was needless worry. The doctor told me everything before she did it. I looked at the ultrasound screen to avoid seeing the needle for the rest of the procedure. She told me she was going to insert the needle, and then she would let me know before activating the spring loaded tool inside the needle, which would take a little “bite” from the area being biopsied. I could feel movement, and pressure and a loud noise whenever another biopsy was taken. I believe I had about 5 biopsy samples collected. And there was only once when the needle moved deeper than the other times, that I felt anything. And that was still just a very small sting. Once the biopsy was over, the very tiny wound that the needle entered through in my breast was patched up with bandage stitches that fall off over time.
Within about 20 minutes the whole thing was over, and I was getting dressed to go home.
Breast Biopsy After Care: I was told to bring a sports bra to wear after the biopsy, one that was on the tighter side. Apparently some compression can help with soreness after the numbing meds wear off. I was gifted a small circular ice pack to place inside my bra. I was told it was ok to use Tylenol for pain or soreness. And I did take that for a day or so. But the pain was pretty minimal.
*Funny Story* I had a fun girls night out planned with some friends for the evening following my biopsy. They were sweet and told me it was no problem to reschedule, but a fun night out seemed like just the thing to take my mind off things. So I pre-froze several ice packs and put them in a bag, and brought them with me! When one ice pack thawed, I just ran to the restroom or in my friends car and switched it out. Then I just stuck a new icepack in my bra and got back to my friends! So if I could do that, you know the pain and soreness was not bad! I’m sure my weirdly lumpy icepack chest looked a little odd, but no one around us seemed to take much note of it!
You may, if you’re like me, get some very colorful black and blue marks on your breast for a while. But honestly, that was the extent of it.
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*TIP*If your provider tells you you may not be able to shower for 24 hours after the procedure, be sure to take a shower right before you go to the biopsy. You’ll be glad you did!
The Worst Part: Everything I read said the worst part of a biopsy is waiting for your results. And I’m here to tell you, that’s the truth. Not knowing if you have cancer or not, is heavy. Be sure to ask your medical team how long results usually take. I’ve heard different people say it took a couple of days, and some say that it might even be a couple of weeks. So my best advice is to distract yourself. Live your life.
If you’re reading this, odds are good that you recently had a mammogram or breast ultrasound, and you were told that your breast health advisor would like you to get – a biopsy. This recently happened to me, and I was instantly worried about what happens in a breast biopsy. What would it be like? Would a biopsy hurt? Leave scars?
And by all means – don’t freak out about your upcoming biopsy! I mean, do as I say, not as I do – right? Because I for sure, 100% was freaked out about my biopsy. But I didn’t need to be. And hopefully by reading this I can save someone else from being as scared and freaked out as I was! You got this girl!
Below are a few links you may find helpful, if you like to do a bit of research!
https://www.verywellhealth.com/breast-biopsy
https://www.breastcancer.org/breast-biopsy
And remember – get your yearly mammogram!
About Shannon SchmidShannon traded in her sensible NYC TV producer shoes (they were best for taking the subway), for a pair of Texas Cowboy boots when she married her best friend! He's at fault for making this Yankee a Texan! Shannon writes about all things that make a house a home. Her chief blogging inspiration is being the proud & slightly neurotic mom of a preschool age daughter.
You can find Shannon on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and her new favorite place to hang out, Google+.
Super blog post about the breast biopsy .Thanks for sharing. Love Rosie